I attended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address at the United Nations, expecting a contentious speech.
asserted
I → attend → speech
What stayed with me was the decision by some delegates to leave before hearing what he had to say.
asserted
he → stay → what
My objection is straightforward: Governments that demand explanations from Israel should be willing to sit through one.
asserted
that → demand → one
Taking a seat so that your departure becomes the message may produce a powerful image.
uncertain
departure → take → image
It does little to advance the difficult work of diplomacy.
asserted
It → do → diplomacy
Netanyahu handled the moment well.
asserted
Netanyahu → handle → moment
He told those who wanted to leave that they could do so, paused, and continued.
uncertain
they → tell → those
Watching from inside the room, I thought his composure made the demonstration less effective.
asserted
demonstration → watch → room
He allowed the interruption to pass without allowing it to determine whether Israel would be heard.
asserted
Israel → allow → ?
As delegates left the General Assembly floor, the press and guest seating remained full, without an empty seat that I could see.
uncertain
I → leave → that
To me, that contrast spoke to the significance of the moment: Israel’s prime minister was representing a country, a land, and a people whose voice deserved to be heard.
asserted
voice → speak → country
Absence alone does not establish a boycott.
asserted
Absence → establish → boycott
But sitting down and then conspicuously leaving as a speaker takes the podium is a statement.
asserted
speaker → sit → podium
Those participating want their refusal to listen to become part of the story.
asserted
refusal → participate → story
We should judge that choice by what it accomplishes.
asserted
it → judge → what
Did it clarify a disagreement?
asserted
it → clarify → disagreement
Or did it simply provide another image of countries turning their backs on Israel?
asserted
it → provide → Israel
Netanyahu then raised a more consequential challenge to those walking out.
asserted
Netanyahu → raise → those
“In defending itself, Israel is also defending many of the countries whose delegates just left this hall,” he said.
asserted
he → defend → hall
He asserted that some of their leaders had privately thanked Israel for its strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
asserted
some → assert → program
If those leaders privately welcomed Israel’s actions, their public conduct deserves scrutiny.
asserted
conduct → welcome → scrutiny
They should explain why they value Israel’s contribution to their security behind closed doors, yet make a spectacle of refusing to hear its prime minister in public.
asserted
they → explain → public
Their objection would appear less absolute than they want the world to believe.
asserted
world → appear → ?
Governments should be accountable for the distance between what they acknowledge privately and what they tell their citizens.
asserted
they → acknowledge → citizens
If Netanyahu’s account is accurate, these leaders want the benefits of Israel’s resolve while avoiding the political cost of acknowledging them.
asserted
leaders → want → them
That is a failure of leadership that they should be pressed to answer for.
asserted
they → press → that
Nobody in that chamber was being asked to endorse every Israeli policy.
asserted
Nobody → ask → policy
Remaining in a seat does not constitute approval.
asserted
Remaining → remain → approval
Diplomacy depends on hearing a government’s position, challenging its claims, and pursuing an outcome despite disagreement.
uncertain
Diplomacy → depend → disagreement
If listening becomes politically unacceptable, the institution loses one of its most basic functions.
asserted
institution → become → functions
That matters to Americans, too.
asserted
That → matter → Americans
We should want international institutions capable of serious engagement with our allies, especially when disagreements are sharp.
asserted
disagreements → want → allies
Their usefulness should be measured by whether they can turn competing positions into practical decisions.
asserted
they → measure → decisions
What troubled me about the walkout was the suggestion that Israel’s acceptance depends on its willingness to accommodate those condemning it.
asserted
acceptance → trouble → it
I heard a related demand in the political confrontation surrounding Netanyahu’s visit to New York: that Jews distance themselves from Israel to remain acceptable.
asserted
Jews → hear → Israel
These are different settings, but I reject the same premise in both.
asserted
I → reject → both
Our belonging should not require us to abandon our convictions or our connection to the Jewish state.
asserted
belonging → require → state
Netanyahu addressed New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani directly: “You can’t silence me.
asserted
You → address → me
You can’t silence the truth.”
asserted
You → silence → truth
Mamdani rejected Netanyahu’s accusations, accusing him of using falsehoods to obscure what the mayor described as genocide against Palestinians and pointing to the International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
asserted
mayor → reject → warrant
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
